Big names, bigger paydays, and billion-dollar battles, this week's iGaming world had it all.

Star power and headline-grabbing wins dominated the crypto casino space, while traditional operators posted strong earnings amid high-stakes acquisition talks. Providers pushed further into newly regulated markets as regulatory momentum built around prediction markets and crypto legislation in the US.

Let's dive into this week's iGaming Weekly!

Industry Overview

Crypto Casino

• BC.Game signed Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo "Memo" Ochoa as an official brand ambassador.
• Gamdom celebrated its 10th anniversary, marking a decade of operations in the crypto casino space.
• Stake announced that Drake hit a $30 million maximum win on the platform, the largest publicly disclosed single payout on a crypto casino.

Traditional Gaming

• Playtech Upgraded its full-year 2026 guidance after reporting first-half results significantly ahead of expectations, driven by surging US performance and continued Latin American growth.
• Carl Icahn Is weighing a rival bid for Caesars Entertainment ahead of the go-shop deadline, setting up a billionaire showdown with Tilman Fertitta whose acquisition timeline was outlined to Nevada regulators.
• EGBA Reported that its members' collective gaming revenue rose 34% in 2025 to serve 43.8 million active accounts, while return-to-player rates dropped as operator margins grew.
• Banijay Gaming Agreed to acquire JOA's network of 33 casinos in France, expanding its land-based presence as it builds an omnichannel gaming business following last year's Tipico acquisition.

Aggregators & Providers

• Relax Gaming Took its full content portfolio live with Starcasino in the regulated Dutch (Netherlands) market.
• Hacksaw Gaming Announced partnership with MagicBet to bring its slot titles to players in Bulgaria.
• Play'n GO Strengthened its Latin American presence with a launch on Betano Colombia.

Miscellaneous

• The World Cup drove Kalshi to $31B in notional volume in June (up 70% from May) while Polymarket hit a record $10.8B, as North Carolina passed a law recognizing the CFTC's exclusive federal regulatory authority over prediction markets and the CFTC sued nine states over jurisdiction.
• CLARITY Act A new draft of the US CLARITY Act crypto regulatory bill could drop as soon as next week, with House Financial Services Committee Chair French Hill urging a July Senate floor vote before the August recess.
• Circle received final OCC approval to launch Circle National Trust, a national bank offering fiduciary custody, while Ark Invest bought $13.7M in Circle stock near one-month lows following the OUSD-driven selloff.
• Polymarket filed for a license with the National Futures Association to offer regulated margin trading in the US, while also adding instant Bitcoin deposits via Lightning Network.

New Releases

• Pragmatic Play: Big Bass Blast, Out of the Woods
• Hacksaw Gaming: Grug Make Fire
• Nolimit City: AFK Airport Security
• BGaming: Yokai, Train Heist Johnny Cash, Jon Vlogs Aviamasters

Upcoming Releases

• Hacksaw Gaming: Supreme Zeus
• Evolution: MONOPOLY Roll 'em
• Relax Gaming: Midnight Marauder - ClusterBreaker™, Money Train 5

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